


Zuko interlude

by Ghostly_Crystals



Series: Burn [6]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: A comment inspired me, Angst, Azula called, Gen, How Do I Tag, She wants her breakdown idea back, Zuko is losing it, he pretends he isn’t
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:15:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostly_Crystals/pseuds/Ghostly_Crystals
Summary: The week before he found out about the Pamphlet, he hadn’t slept much. So what did he do the night he found out? He Didn’t sleep.Author is unoriginal in their ideas.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (past)
Series: Burn [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1893265
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	Zuko interlude

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This idea was inspired by a comment by queerahim, so shoutout to them! I hope you enjoy :)

Zuko interlude

* * *

The rest of the night after talking with Sokka, Zuko couldn’t sleep. His heart was beating with adrenaline, and his mind was running a mile a minute. He tried to lay down, but his body kept screaming at him to move. So, here he was now, barefeet pacing on the tile floor of the guest room. 

Now that he was moving, his mind couldn’t stay idle. If Sokka had been lying about only loving him, what else did he lie about? Their anniversary was three months ago, had he gone to see her that same day? Had Zuko been intimate with him the same day he had been with her? His pacing brought him in front of a mirror. 

Had Sokka seen her face when they laid next to each other? Looking in the mirror, Zuko could figure out why Sokka had the need to lie. Maybe if he didn’t have his scar, Sokka wouldn’t have had a need to cheat. Maybe if he didn’t have the same gold eyes as the people who raided Sokka’s village. Maybe if he wasn’t directly related to the person who gave the order. 

Zuko felt sick as thought, what if every time Sokka woke up from a nightmare, he saw Zuko’s gold eyes and was terrified? 

Lunging for the basket, Zuko threw up. Thankfully, all of it made it into the trash basket. How had Sokka loved him at all? What if Sokka had never loved him? 

Zuko stood up from where he was slouched over the bin. He took a deep breath, this was a dangerous thought process to go through. 

Now that he was up, Zuko went to the desk he had moved in the guest room earlier. There’s piles of paperwork he needs to do. Zuko knew that he wasn’t going to sleep tonight, especially if Sokka wasn’t there beside him. 

He sat in the chair and began reading and sigining papers. The task gave his mind something to think about and focus on, the quill gave him something to fiddle with. While Zuko was so focused on this, a storm was unknowingly brewing inside. 

Like his sister only years ago, he was slipping. He just didn’t acknowledge it.

* * *

That next morning, a servant came in to wake him up. Of course, Zuko had known it was morning. He looked up with his one good eye, and let his quill rest on the desk. His wrist had gone sore hours ago, or was it minutes? He shook the thought away and greeted the servant. She responded and asked if he needed assistance getting ready this morning. 

Zuko could tell from her body language she knew. This particular servant, Sakura, had always had a friendly tone in her voice. Today, it was hesitant. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. Of course she knew, why was she scared though? Zuko realized he hadn’t responded. 

“N-no thank you. I can do it myself, thanks.” 

He winced once the sentence was over. Why did his voice sound so hoarse? Zuko didn’t wait for her response, simply returning to his work. The door closed eventually and Zuko stood up. A few of his muscles protested since he had been sitting for so long. 

He stretched as he walked around the room. The first thing he did was head to the closet, getting clothes to wear. After last night, Zuko had requested for a few outfits to be moved in the guest room he was in. He grabbed one outfit and brought it to the bathroom. He set the clothes on a table near the tub. 

He took his bath methodically at first. When it was time to pick his soap, Zuko hesitated. The cinnamon and citrus one had been Sokka and his favorite. What if Sokka had been lying about that being his favorite? 

Instead of using his usual soap and shampoo, he chose a vanilla one. He rinsed himself absentmindedly. Once Zuko was done, he grabbed a towel and dried himself. Once he was dry, he pulled on a robe and made his way to the bathroom mirror. 

He grabbed a smaller towel and began drying his hair. It was longer now, just reaching the middle of his back. Once it was somewhat dry, he took the towel away and looked in the mirror. With his hair down, he couldn’t help but think of his Ozai. 

He raised a hand to cover his scar, and couldn’t help but point out everything on his face that resembles Ozai. Sokka had always talked him away from those thoughts, but what if he was lying about that too? What if Sokka had been scared to point it out? 

As he stood there, just looking in his mirror, a voice began speaking. “A shame, I always hoped Azula would’ve taken after me.” The voice made shivers go down Zuko’s spine. The voice that haunted his nightmares, Ozai. 

Zuko looked at the reflection of the rest of the room, seeing a figure there. One that was all too familiar. 

“The citizens are probably rolling in pity right now. Poor Firelord Zuko got his heart broken.” 

Zuko couldn’t help but stare at the figure in the mirror in horror. Ozai’s voice got higher to mimick the citizens’ voices. 

“How could you lead a country when you can’t even keep your husband in bed? How could your citizens not hate you,” Ozai’s voice stopped for a moment and Zuko blinked for just a second. 

Suddenly, Ozai was standing right behind him, and with a booming voice, finished his sentence. 

“When you look so much like me?” 

The voice was loud in his ear. Even with that ear being damaged, Ozai had spoken loud enough for his right ear to pick up on it. The noise volume caused him to flinch and turn around, fearing Ozai might actually be behind him. 

He had just brought a flame in his hand when he realized no one was there. Turning back to the mirror, he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut his hair. 

He cut it short enough to resemble when he was first crowned. Zuko looked in the mirror, and without a doubt, he saw himself. Not Ozai, not his mom, him. When he was done, he tied it up in the usual topknot. As he finished tying it, he pretended not to see the intimidating figure hiding in the shadows behind him. 

Zuko left the room, ignoring the looks from the servants. He also ignored the glimpses of blue fabric from the corner of his eye. And if he ignored Ozai’s whispers in his ear the whole day, no one had to know.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, Thank you for reading and I hope all of you stay safe :) And if the person who gave me the idea wants me to link them, please comment me and let me know ^^’ 
> 
> -Ghostly


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